My name is Curtis Chin and I am the writer/ producer of “Vincent Who?,” a documentary that looks at the historic hate crime murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit and the current state of Asian American political empowerment. We have screened at over 200 colleges, corporations and federal agencies (in four countries) and we won the 2009 Media Award from the National Association for Multicultural Education.

I am currently working on my Spring 2012 tour. Would your school be interested in booking a screening? Each event includes a screening of the film and a post-screening discussion on such subjects as the Vincent Chin case, student leadership, social justice, Asian American identity, and/or coalition building. If you can screen when I am already in the area, I can split some of the travel costs and reduce my standard fee.

I have included info on the film and my bio. And here is a link to more info at vincentwhomovie.com where you can actually view the film. Please let me know if you’d be interested.

Curtis Chin

Writer/Producer

VINCENT WHO? (2009, 40 minutes) – In 1982, at the height of anti-Japanese sentiments, Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit by two white autoworkers who said, “it’s because of you mother** that we’re out of work.” When the judged fined the killers a mere $3,000 and three years probation, Asian Americans around the country galvanized for the first time to form a real community and movement. This documentary features interviews with the key players at the time, as well as a whole new generation of activists. “Vincent Who?” asks how far Asian Americans have come since then and how far we have yet to go. Featured interviews include: Helen Zia (lead activist during the Chin trial), Renee Tajima Pena (director, “Who Killed Vincent Chin?”), Stewart Kwoh (Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center), Lisa Ling (journalist), Sumi Pendakur (Univ. of Southern California), Dale Minami (civic rights attorney), Doua Thor (Executive Director, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center), and a group of five diverse young APA activists whose lives were impacted by Vincent Chin.

Curtis Chin is an award-winning writer and producer who has written for ABC, NBC, Fox, the Disney Channel and more. As a community activist, he co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress. In 2008, he served on Barack Obama’s Asian American Leadership Council where he participated in helping the campaign reach out to the AAPI community. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Newsweek and other media outlet.

I’m the same mom who has probably been a pain in the neck the last month or so, trying to figure out the holiday shuttle situation at W&M. I apologize if I have been too aggressive about this issue. This time around, for Thanksgiving, my daughter will be taking a private carrier to Norfolk because she has a class on Wednesday before the break. Do you know when you might have the dates set for the December/January shuttles? I’m assuming from the W&M calendar that they’d be after exams on Dec. 15th and returning Jan. 15 or 16.
I’m assuming students must skip classes on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving so they can travel. In the future, I’ll be sure to schedule her flight on that day instead.
Live and learn!
Again, I’m sorry to be a pain lately. It’s just hard to make travel plans remotely without knowing schedules. I hope you understand…
Happy Thanksgiving, Adam!
Beth Heaney